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Civil Defence response time improved in 2017

DOHA: The firefighting teams of General Directorate of Civil Defence (GDCD) reached faster on the spot in 2017 compared to previous as they improved their response time.

GDCD improved its average response time to reach the spot to 7-10 minutes in 2017 compared to 7-12 minutes 2016, according to the Fire Reports Statistics 2017 which was released yesterday.The reduction in response was achieved despite continuous urbanisation and ongoing infrastructure works in the country.

The Civil Defence Sectors in the south, north and Doha recorded a decrease in response with 1 to 3 minutes, despite the works in roads, intersections, bridges and tunnels as well as the urban growth that make delays in reaching the sites, said the department in a statement.

According to the Civil Defence Statistics, a total of 1,663 incidents were registered last year. Also Farm fires, vehicle collisions and industrial units recorded a significant decline in fire incidents, compared to the statistics of 2016.

The incident of fires in industrial establishments last year was 16 compared to 23 in 2016, while incidents of fire in farms were 21 in 2017 compared to 29 during the preceding year.

In order to ensure the safety of the engineering plans of the buildings in both residential and institutional units, as many as 31,537 plans were examined in terms of safety procedures, of which 12,046 plans were approved.

Some observations and amendments were recommended to 18,991 plans to comply with the latest requirements related to safety procedures and in accordance with the standards and the basics used in the safety of facilities.

In 2017, the GDCD considered 15,142 products related to safety systems and approved 10,516 out of them, which met the specifications approved in the country.

The department said that the public also plays a key role in regulating response time. The proper and timely reporting and providing detailed information about the location helps the firefighting team to reach the spot faster.

In order to promote public awareness among the public and various institutions of fire safety procedures, GDCD carried out 5903 training activities in 2017, which include mock fire drills 132, lectures, practical training 141, exhibition and lectures 98 and other activities 132. GDCD succeeded to train its human cadres to keep them abreast of the latest developments in the field of civil defense. It also trained a number of concerned bodies in the public and private sectors. A total of 61 training courses were organised that benefitted 936 trainees compared 53 courses that benefitted 765 trainees in 2016.

In terms of training the concerned authorities in the private and government sectors, the number of trained bodies reached 1153, compared with 763 bodies trained in 2016.

The number of students enrolled at the Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College doubled in 2018 to 87 students whereas 49 students were enrolled in 2017 and 12 students in 2016. The college also presented many accredited trainers and specialised courses in the fields of fire, emergency and safety.

GDCD looks forward to achieving the Ministry of Interior’s strategy in the public safety sector and enhancing its procedures in various sectors in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. It will accomplish it by raising the level of efficiency and skills, optimising the use of resources and implementing laws and regulations, coordinating with all relevant authorities in the country as well as ensuring the implementation of planned projects and programs.

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